MAGA civil war over Trump's Iran policy? The right debates whether or not to go to war

Escalating tensions in the Middle East have Washington, DC, but particularly the MAGA movement, on edge. The U.S. intervention is celebrated by some Republicans and, at the same time, criticized by others. This second group is composed of figures very close to President Donald Trump, such as Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Charlie Kirk, among others. Precisely, it was Kirk who assured that an overt intervention in Iran could "disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful presidency."

The cracks in the MAGA movement were unleashed after the president's latest publications on his social network. In addition to calling for the "unconditional surrender of Iran," he slipped in the possibility of removing the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. This possibility of direct involvement in a war beyond U.S. borders was not lost on some of his staunchest supporters.

With the open wound of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, this group understands that Trump's international policy should be to not get involved in any foreign conflict, in direct contrast to more traditional voices and some who take a position that Senator Ted Cruz called that of a "non-interventionist hawk," opting to intervene only where there is a real consequence for U.S. national security.

"No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy"

Earlier comments by Carlson and Bannon were joined by other strong voices such as Kirk. The founder of Turning Point USA remarked that a more interventionist international policy could disillusion the movement's young base.

"Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war. (...) The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible," he said.

In turn, he responded to Senators Lindsey Graham and James Lankford, who were open to pursuing regime change in Iran: "This is insane. Regime change will result in a bloody civil war, killing hundreds of thousands and creating another massive Muslim refugee crisis. Topping a leader is NEVER as easy you think. It almost always results in further involvement, a civil war, and chaos. Resist this!" he wrote in X.

Unlike others in the movement, he stressed that President Trump's stance with Iran was always the same. "President Trump is not an ideologue. He's pragmatic, and he prizes common sense. He rejects both extremes and tries to find an America-First middle ground. When he came down the escalator ten years ago, he was clear on two things: the Iraq War was a disaster, and Iran should never get a nuclear weapon. For the past ten years, he has remained firm on both positions. I don't know if President Trump will choose to involve America against Iran. But he is a man I trust to be making that decision," he added.

On the other hand, and with the intention of filling those cries in the MAGA movement, Vice President JD Vance emerged with a more conciliatory stance.

"Aren't we on the same side in that case?"

Along the same lines was Matt Walsh, a popular conservative commentator on The Daily Wire. In addition to describing Senator Graham as an "evil" person, he said that many are now raising their voices to try to prevent the Trump Administration from directly engaging Iran.

"If you agree that a regime change war is bad, why are you screeching at us? Aren't we on the same side in that case?" the author also added.

For Jack Posobiec, the only people who are favored by these cracks within the MAGA movement are Democrats and "neocons." "When people warn that regime change war would break up the MAGA Coalition, consider that is exactly what the neocons want," he posted on his social media.

Donald Trump Jr. reacted to Posobiec's remarks and agreed wholeheartedly: "This is 100% right. I’d add neocons and Democrats."

"Do you know who the real leader of MAGA is? Donald Trump?

For Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire, the isolationist criticisms by Bannon, Greene, and Carlson are too presumptuous. I understand that none of them truly represent the MAGA movement.

"You know who the actual leader of MAGA is? Donald Trump, he created MAGA. It is Donald Trump who created the America First Movement. It is not Tucker Carlson, and it is not Marjorie Taylor Greene," he fired off in a recent episode of his podcast.

JD Vance's stance on Trump's Iran policy: ‘He has been surprisingly consistent’

The vice president also waded into the discussion about the MAGA movement. As he wrote on X, he felt compelled to participate in the debate after reading "a lot of crazy stuff on social media."

Aiming to tone down the discussion, he claimed that Trump always had the same stance on Iran: "The president has made clear that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment. And he said repeatedly that this would happen one of two ways--the easy way or the 'other' way". 

"Meanwhile, the president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens," Vance continued.

Finally, he remarked that ultimately the decision will fall to the president's men. "He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. (...) But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue. And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people's goals. Whatever he does, that is his focus," he said.